Twinblades are one of Elden Ring’s most visually distinctive weapon types, and their uniqueness comes with some equally unusual combat properties. They have the ability to apply status effects quickly when dual wielded, since their jumping attacks hit multiple times. Their fast-hitting movesets also allow Twinblades to quickly trigger various buffs that only activate after you attack multiple times in rapid succession.
Unfortunately, there are only six Twinblades to find in Elden Ring, giving you limited options to choose from - and not all of them were created equally. To help you make the right choice, here’s every Twinblade you'll come across in the Lands Between; where you can find them, and how powerful they'll be once you do.
6 Gargoyle’s Black Blades
The Gargoyle’s Black Blades have exceptionally high base damage, but several factors hold them back from being top-tier. To start with, a large portion of that is Holy damage, which is commonly resisted, particularly by some of the most difficult end-game bosses. Additionally, despite scaling with three stats—Strength, Dexterity, and Faith—the Black Blades don’t scale particularly well with any of them. Even fully upgraded, its Strength scaling is only a B, while Dexterity and Faith are at E and D, respectfully. It’s also one of the few Twinblades that can’t change their Weapon Skill.
In theory, the Gargoyle’s Black Blades could be good in the early game, where base damage matters much more than scaling does and enemies that resist Holy damage are fewer. Unfortunately, they are the last Twinblades you’ll find during your journey through The Lands Between, dropping from the Black Blade Kindred that attacks you just before the Grand Lift of Rold. At this point in the game, they’re going to be outclassed by one of the other Twinblades no, matter what you’re trying to accomplish.
5 Twinblade
In terms of damage, the basic Twinblade is the weakest weapon in its class. It deals the lowest base damage and gets unimpressive scaling no matter what Affinity you give it, although it does allow you to equip Ashes of War, so at least you aren’t stuck with Spinning Slash. However, the Twinblade does have one significant advantage over the other weapons of its type: it can be found much earlier in the game.
Assuming you know where it is, you can make a beeline for it immediately after stepping into Limgrave. It’s inside a hidden chest in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins. Meanwhile, the next Twinblade you’ll come across will most likely be in the Altus Plateau (or Nokron, Eternal City if you take a less orthodox path through the game). If you want to use a Twinblade in the early game, the basic version is the only option you have, whether you like it or not.
4 Twinned Knight Swords
There’s not much to be said about the Twinned Knight Swords that can’t also be said about the regular Twinblade. They are extremely similar weapons, with the primary difference being that the Twinned Knight Swords are an upgrade over the regular Twinblade in basically every way - alright, technically that’s several differences. The Twinned Knight Swords have similar scaling, and end up performing better in almost every Affinity. They're even slightly longer.
However, while the Twinned Knight Swords outperform the regular Twinblade in most cases, they themselves generally get outclassed by the more specialized Twinblades that come in higher on this list. That said, if you were enjoying using the regular Twinblade, and just want to get a better version, you can pick up the Twinned Knight Swords from a pile of burning corpses at the East Windmill Pasture, the northernmost point of the Altus Plateau.
3 Gargoyle’s Twinblade
In terms of raw damage, the Gargoyle’s Twinblade is the best Twinblade for Strength builds, getting A scaling in the stat when given the Heavy Affinity. If you're looking for a Twinblade that isn’t focused around Dexterity or Status effects, this is probably the one you should gravitate towards.
Its biggest disadvantage is that it’s much shorter than the other Twinblades, and by a relatively significant margin. Twinblades already have a bit of a range problem, since having blades on both ends of the weapon means their apparent length is somewhat deceptive. Still, if you want a unique Strength weapon, the Gargoyle’s Twinblade is a good option. It drops from the Valiant Gargoyle (Twinblade) guarding the coffin that takes you to the Deeproot Depths in the Sofria Aqueduct.
2 Godskin Peeler
The Godskin Peeler is the first Twinblade on this list that comes with a great Weapon Skill. Black Flame Tornado causes you to twirl the Peeler above your head, inflicting the Black Flame debuff on anything you hit. The debuff deals a percentage of your enemy’s maximum health as damage for a certain amount of time. The Skill deals impressive damage, especially against late-game bosses with their ludicrous health bars.
The trouble is, it isn’t unique. You can find an Ash of War that grants the same Weapon Skill after killing the Godskin Duo, and there are many weapons that can utilize it to greater effect than the Godskin Peeler. That being said, you can acquire the Godskin Peeler much earlier in the game than you can, as it drops from the lone Godskin Apostle you can find at the Windmill Village in the Altus Plateau. And even if we ignore the pros and cons of its starting Weapon Skill, the Godskin Peeler still has value. It does well with the Bleed and Occult Affinities, and has the best Dexterity scaling of any Twinblade when given the Keen Affinity.
1 Eleonora’s Poleblade
Amidst a relatively unique class of weapons, Eleonora’s Poleblade is the most special. It deals an even split between Physical and Fire damage, allowing it to benefit from buffs to both damage types. Additionally, it’s the only Twinblade that has innate Bleed buildup, making it great for building the best status effect in the game. Eleonora’s Poleblade is also the only Twinblade with a completely unique Weapon Skill, an extremely flashy move called Bloodblade Dance that launches you towards your enemy, causing you to hit many times in rapid succession, dealing great damage and causing Bleed buildup.
It's easily the strongest Twinblade when used by itself, but Eleonora's Poleblade can also be paired with a Blood Affinity Twinblade like the Godskin Peeler to great effect. If any of that sounds appealing, Eleonora's Poleblade drops when you kill Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger, who invades you in the Second Church of Marika.